ONLINE RETAILERS REVEAL THE BEST THINGS TO BUY IN MARCH

Shopping online can save you money, especially when you couple it with online savings codes, deals of the day, no-taxes-charged, and free shipping offers.

Why Online Stores May Be Cheaper

Retailers do not always offer the same deals in the brick-and-mortar stores as they do on their online stores because the costs of running an establishment are considerably greater than an online store. Factors such as rent, electricity, payroll, fixtures, and shrinkage loss all contribute to the gross margin and overhead of doing business in a shopping center.

Retailers have discovered that they can meet the needs of their customers, but do so with less operational expenses with an online location and not a physical store. Good online retailers then pass the savings on to their customers by cutting the cost of the products.

MARCH 2017

Wedding Supplies: Everyone wants a wedding in the spring, which means it’s a lot easier to find a venue and negotiate prices for a service in the winter—depending on the location, of course.

Winter Coats & Clothing: The later you get into winter, the better the prices will get, because everyone already has theirs. If you need to upgrade, try to survive one more winter with your old battered coat before retiring it.

Chocolate: After a holiday, it's only natural that themed sweets will go on sale. As such, Valentine's Day candy will continue to see discounts this month, if it hasn't already been all snatched up. But, since this holiday in particular puts emphasis on higher end sweets to impress your loved ones, you can especially look to stores like Godiva for tasty ways to treat yourself on a budget.

Golf Clubs: New models are coming out for the summer, so your local golf shop is pushing the old ones out the door. Grab last year’s set cheaply and you’ll forget all about how awesome the new ones are.

Luggage: After a few months cooped up indoors, you may begin feeling the itch to get outside and take on an adventure of two. And if your travel gear is lacking, you're in luck! This time of year is a good time to buy new baggage. Last year, luggage deals began to pick up steam in March, with many notable offers.

St. Patrick's Day Deals and Freebies: Check out deals from Marie Calender, Einstein Bros., Friendly's, Sonic, and more this St. Paddy's Day, whether it's a dollar off your purchase, BOGO breakfast entrees, or even half off select items. IHOP and Stewart's Shops even gave discounts to anyone wearing green last year.

Something you might not think of on St. Patrick's Day: Flowers! Following Valentine's Day and with Mother's Day still two months off, florists are probably a little desperate to make sales. We saw 15 to 25% off from Teleflora and 1-800-Flowers with coupon codes last year.

Frozen Foods: Did you know that March is National Frozen Food Month? And this isn't one of those made-up events — participating brands include Green Giant, Dole, Eggo, Jimmy Dean, Pepperidge Farms, Best Yet, Bob Evans, Safeway, and Tyson. So keep an eye out for discounts from these brands and grocery stores. Look for 10% off frozen items, though you might have to buy several to qualify for the discount.

High-End Fashion: To battle the mid-winter lull and prepare for the more informal spring season, high-end clothing retailers bring the deals in March. Charles Tyrwhitt and Nordstrom both made our top stores of the month (see below), with men's shirts dropping to $30 from $100, and shoes at $179 off. These looks will easily take you from the office to a nice night out.

Fitness Equipment: There's an upside to putting off your New Year's resolution to get in shape: March is one of the best times to bring home a treadmill or elliptical machine, according to Consumer Reports. With these pieces of gym gear normally costing upwards of $1,000, Amazon, DealNews or your neighborhood sporting goods store offer discounts that could save you hundreds — keeping both your wallet and your waistline in check.